Page 28 - aruba-today-20190430

A28 SCIENCE
Tuesday 30 april 2019

Major emperor penguin breeding ground gone barren since 2016

By SETH BORENSTEIN about 20 years. Pairs breed one of the coldest areas
AP Science Writer in the harshest winter con- of the continent "where in
WASHINGTON (AP) — For ditions with the male incu- the future you expect to al-
the past three years, virtu- bating their egg. ways have emperors," Tra-
ally nothing has hatched Scientists blame the sharp than said.
at Antarctica's second big- decline on climate and David Ainley, a marine ecol-
gest breeding grounds for weather conditions that ogist and penguin expert
emperor penguins and the break apart the "fast ice" — at the consulting firm H.T.
start of this year is looking sea ice that's connected Harvey & Associates,
just as bleak, a new study to the land — where the worried that some people
found. emperor penguins stay to will be more alarmed than
Usually 15,000 to 24,000 breed. They incubate their they need to be because
breeding pairs of emperor eggs and tend to their many of the penguins
penguins flock yearly to a chicks — one per pair — didn't disappear, but just
breeding site at Halley Bay on ice. After breeding and moved. While not as scary
, considered a safe place tending to the chicks, the as it may sound initially, with
that should stay cold this penguins move to open climate change "long term,
century despite global sea. it's another question as al-
warming. But almost none In 2016 and 2017, there was ternate breeding sites likely
have been there since no breeding in Halley Bay will become harder to find,"
2016, according to a study and last year there was just said Ainley, who was not
in Wednesday's Antarctic a bit, the study found. part of the study.The study
Science. The nearby Dawson- makes sense, and some-
The breeding pair popula- Lambton breeding area, times dramatic environ-
tion has increased signifi- which had been home to mental change can cause
cantly at a nearby breed- a couple thousand pairs, a breeding failure like this,
ing ground, but the study's increased to 11,117 pairs said Stephanie Jenouvrier,
author said it is nowhere in 2017 and 14,612 pairs in a penguin expert at Woods
near the amount missing at 2018, the study said. Hole Oceanographic Insti-
Halley Bay. While that's encouraging, it tution who wasn't part of
"We've never seen a breed- doesn't make up for all that the study.
ing failure on a scale like was lost at Halley Bay, Tra- Trathan said a super strong
this in 60 years," said study This 2010 photo provided by the British Antarctic Survey shows than said. "Not everybody El Nino — a natural cyclical
author Phil Trathan, head emperor penguins and chicks at the Snow Hill Island colony, on has gone to Dawson Lamb- warming of the central Pa-
of conservation biology at the northern Antarctic Peninsula. ton yet," he said. cific that changes weather
the British Antarctic Survey. Associated Press What's troubling isn't that worldwide — melted sea
"It's unusual to have a com- part of the colony has ice more than usual and
plete breeding failure in population breeds at Hal- peror penguins are the moved to Dawson-Lamb- exposed the fast ice to
such a big colony." ley Bay, Trathan said. largest penguin species, ton, it is that scientists wind and waves, making
Normally about 8% of the Black-and-white with yel- weighing up to 88 pounds thought of Halley Bay as a the breeding home less
world's emperor penguin low ears and breasts, em- (40 kilograms) and living climate change refuge in stable.q
A daunting task begins: Reducing

lobster gear to save whales

By PATRICK WHITTLE Commission met Monday find a way to make it work."
Associated Press outside Washington to dis- Exactly how long it will take
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) cuss the implementation to implement the new rules
— Fishing managers on of the new rules, which are is unclear at the moment,
the East Coast began the designed to reduce serious Kerns said.
daunting process Monday injuries and deaths among It also remains to be seen
of implementing new re- whales by 60 percent. whether the commission or
strictions on lobster fishing The rules will be developed states will take the lead in
that are designed to pro- in the coming months and implementing the rules, she
In this Sept. 5, 2018 file photo, a lobster walks over the top of tect a vanishing species of could have a huge effect said.
a lobster trap off the coast of Biddeford, Maine. In this Sept. 5,
2018 file photo, a lobster walks over the top of a lobster trap off whale. on the lucrative fishery. Colleen Coogan, who co-
the coast of Biddeford, Maine. A team organized by the Some individual lobstermen ordinates the federal gov-
Associated Press federal government rec- place several miles of trap ernment team designed
ommended last week that lines in the water, meaning to protect the whales, said
the number of vertical trap hundreds of miles will have during the meeting that
lines in the water be re- to be removed in total to cooperating with Canadi-
duced by about half. The meet the goal."States are an authorities is also going
lines have entrapped and committed to taking on the to be very important. Ca-
drowned the North Atlantic reductions," said Toni Kerns, nadian fishermen harvest
right whale, which number interstate fisheries man- the same species of lob-
a little more than 400 and agement program director ster, and the endangered
have declined by dozens for the commission, after whales also swim in Cana-
this decade. the meeting. "This is a very dian waters.
The interstate Atlantic complex issue, and it will be "We've set a pretty high
States Marine Fisheries challenging, but they will bar," Coogan said. q